Author: eileenwebb

The Play Area equipment was installed about 20 years ago and now a major overhaul and refurbishment is being carried out to the climbing frames in particular and at the same time it was decided that the hedges needed to be severely cut back to let in more light to help prevent the timber items becoming slippery when covered in algae and lichens.

The new housing build at Westfields is nearing completion and an open afternoon is to be held on Thursday 2nd May before the chosen occupiers are permitted to move in. It is hoped that all road and other ancillary works will also be complete by then to give the project a finished look, and then the traffic lights can also be removed.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service gave a presentation a month ago and since then some of the funding to purchase a Defibrillator has been secured so Members decided that the go ahead be given to siting one within the village where it can be easily accessed if and when needed.

Planning issues around the access to various properties continue to cause headaches and is has been reported that a works to a property on South End have made a gap in a hedge. This has been forwarded for whatever enforcement action the National Park consider is necessary, as has the construction of a ménage off Colgate Lane. The same enforcement team are also considering what action they need to take regarding the deteriorating condition of a property, currently held up by scaffolding, on South End.

Road maintenance is still a problem and Highways will repair potholes if they are deemed deep enough to warrant it. Recently some on the West Harlsey road have been considered to need this intervention and this work will be carried out at a date somewhere in the future. The damaged setts around the Cross have also been reported as needing repair sooner rather than later.

Len Cragg.

Osmotherley Area Parish Council welcomed two Officers of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service who gave a presentation about Defribulators and how the use of this equipment can save the life of someone suffering a cardiac arrest. This piece of kit needs to kept in a heated cabinet but could be on an external wall with a power supply and is accessed by dialling 999. Time saves lives and should a call be made the caller would also have back up by Ambulance but the use of this important kit is foolproof and simple to use. Further research will be done to see if sufficient funding can be found to enable one to be installed in the village.

A recent safety report indicated that some repairs are needed to the Play Area equipment and following a series of quotations the work has been given to Andrew Wastell of Hutton Rudby who will tackle the repairs as soon as conditions allow. The hedges are also to be cut back as soon as possible.

Highways continue to struggle to keep on top of emergency repairs to potholes, damaged verges and such like and because of this reports have also been put onto the fixmystreet website to make the concerns more public. The continuing high volume of heavy goods vehicles is exacerbating the problem and pressure will continue to be put to Highways to tackle the essential work needed to prevent the roads becoming even more unsafe. Repairs are also needed to some footpaths and the National Park Rangers are involved with this work.

“Thompsons Shop” will soon be coming onto the market but before that can happen assurances were needed that it should remain as a retail shop and Members passed a resolution to this effect adding in the need to adhere to planning consents where necessary. At the recent National Park planning meeting approval was given to allow the access off Back Lane to various properties on South End subject to conditions.

Len Cragg – Clerk to the Parish Council

When Osmotherley Area Parish Council met they heard at first hand that dog fouling is again escalating with owners deliberately flouting access to land as well as failing to clear up after their dogs. This is frequently seen in the fields off Cuddy Lane and it was suggested that photographic evidence will be the best way forward. New bye laws have been adopted by Yorkshire Water and make reference to the fact that owners should also clear up in the area of the Codbeck reservoir.

High volumes of Heavy Goods vehicles in and around Thimbleby are causing considerable damage to the roads and Highways have been asked to intervene to either control these vehicle movements or to construct sufficient passing places to prevent erosion of the verges. A planning application has been recieved to demolish the leaking dam at Upper Oakdale and if this goes ahead further heavy traffic will be forced onto narrow and unsuitable roads and tracks. There is both a safety issue here before the dam gives way but also for the large numbers of walkers using the many footpaths and other users as well as residents as work progresses.

The Police report indicates that there have not been any crimes reported to them but all must remain vigilant and not become complacent. The Jubilee Bulb planting has been completed with the prospect of a good show later this year and for years to come, although squirrels have been feasting of those planted in Thimbleby. A disabled access has now been constructed at St Peters Church and a formal opening is being arranged for April.

Len Cragg – Clerk to the Parish Council

When Osmotherley Area Parish Council met in January many Members expressed serious concerns about the effects of winter weather and the fact that road surfaces are deteriorating at an alarming rate. These concerns will again be flagged up with Highways and despite their lack of funds work is now deemed to be essential. Particular sections include the ongoing flooding at West Harlsey, the poor state of the road through Thimbleby and the subsidence on Chester Lane as well as the increasing depth and number of potholes everywhere.

Highways have indicated that they can only give priority to flooding where it affects homes or businesses and that roadside ditches are the responsibility of the adjoining land occupier who should attend to these. It is hoped that major improvements to the watersplash at Boghole can be completed before the end of the financial year but that may now become weather dependant. The National Park Rangers are due to assess what is needed to stabilise the erosion of the footpath from The Applegarth to the Codbeck bridge leading to Osmotherley Mill before this path collapses into the water course.

A recent safety report on the Play Area equipment has indicated the need to replace some of the decking and also to prevent any build up of algal growth. A joiner will be needed to carryout the repairs and the hedges are to be cut back to allow more exposure to wind to help prevent surfaces becoming slippery. The recent weather with quantities of snow and ice has been tackled very successfully by Keith and this commitment by him has been very much appreciated by all concerned.

Planning matters included an application by Openreach to position a telecoms cabinet at the bottom of North End, this was supported because it will bring Broadband provision much closer to the user. A revised application to build a house on what was Rydes Garage has been withdrawn but applications to improve the dormers at The Croft on Clack Bank as well as an agricultural building at Swainstye were supported.

Although the Police report indicated that there had been no crimes figures recorded there had been a case of some sheep being slaughtered in a field and the remains left in the open, the Police had attended to this at the time of reporting.

Len Cragg – Clerk to the Parish Council

Once again the effects of large volumes of water swamping much of the area and its effects on residents was debated. Where this involves either roadside gulleys or ditches Highways are always asked to act, but frequently they fail to tackle to source of the problem. Cuddy Lane, Oswaldene and the Pied Piper are new locations and these as well as the blocked gulleys have all been flagged up for Highways attention.

The recent house naming exercise for the new development on Clack Lane was well attended and special credit must go to the School and its pupils for their involvement. All of these dwellings at Westfields will now have a unique name thanks to this initiative.

The public conveniences are being well cared for and the Honesty box is a welcome addition to the revenue needed to maintain this facility. Water in an unheated building can present problems in cold weather and in the light of this experience it may be necessary to make some changes to the supply but there is no intention to allow these toilets to close.

Highways recently decided to change the parking restrictions on North End without prior consultation. They have been called to task and the double lines will be reinstated and this will permit parking on the verge outside the shop provided that it is safe to do so and will still allow parking all the way along the other side of the road.

Len Cragg, Clerk to the Parish Council

Parking in Osmotherley remains a contentious issue and not only within the centre of the village but on Clack Lane. This latter area may not improve until such time as all of the drainage issues are resolved. Currently neither Highways nor Broadacres can agree on the water issue but the crux of the problem appears to be the drain alongside the road below the building site and which eventually goes under the road in the road hollow near Belle Vue Cottages. If this drain is cleared out the site work will then proceed and the contractors will be able to park their vehicles within the works site.

Many other areas of the county have a very good Broadband speed, not so the rural villages and HDC are looking for persons to act as Champions of the cause, this particularly affects any business operating in a slow area but is equally of need to anyone else, volunteers are asked to contact HDC to assist in identifying zones for this roll out process.

The Woodyard is looking dilapidated but in this current economic climate the possibility of the original planning consent to construct small industrial units looks very remote. Further advice is to be sought to find ways of ensuring that this site will not become even more of an eyesore but in the meantime many would appreciate seeing it being tidied up.

Highways have again been asked to tackle many blocked gulleys such as the one at the south end of Thimbleby and to repair the potholes on Back Lane and near Oswaldene.

Flooding and water problems have exercised many minds recently and has involved assistance from many agencies. The water supply failures of the past should soon be resolved because Yorkshire Water are due to install a backup generator to supply energy should the mains electricity supply fail again. To bring this supply on line there will need to be a planned interruption to supplies for a short period in the near future. A few residents have been involved in this fight with YW and many thanks to them for all their efforts.

Flash flooding has caused grief to many and although severe storms can not be controlled at least the agencies responsible for drains can and they should make sure that their drains are capable of removing this water as quickly as it falls. Highways are responsible for this and the PC will continue to chase them until all outstanding matters have been resolved. Too often they only do a patch up job and this is unsatisfactory. Several footbridges on the Codbeck were damaged as well as the Sheep Wash stepping stones and the authorities will be asked to make speedy repairs to these.

After installing an honesty box at the Toilets about £10.00 is collected every week, at least this will pay for some but not all of the upkeep of this village facility. Recent expenditure has seen the retaining wall at South End rebuilt and also further pointing and repairs to the Cemetery walls as well as installing stronger bollards on North End. The Village Hall applied for and has been awarded LEADER funding to replace the kitchen and to install additional insulation.

Keith Henderson continues to keep the area looking very tidy, please can those householders who cut their own grass ensure that the clippings do not go onto the road and into the drains which could cause blockages. On a similar theme if your vehicle is parked preventing the Highways road-sweeper clearing loose chippings it would be appreciated if you were able to tidy up yourself.

Len Cragg

19.08.12

Much of the June meeting of the Parish Council was taken up discussing various drainage issues in and around the villages. Several times in recent months Highways have been alerted to areas where water pools on roads and very little action has resulted so much so that members expressed grave frustration as to the efficiency of that organisation. A new housing development is going up on Clack Lane and recent survey activity indicated that a culvert under the road along with a section of roadside drain is silted up and Members and residents are concerned that this should be put right without further delay. Water is now pooling on the road out of Thimbleby and again the problem may be due to a culvert being unable to move the water away from the roadside as is a piped drain on the West Harlsey road, both of which were added to the list of tasks for Highways to attend to.

To commemorate the Queens Jubilee the PC have agreed to give funds to the Gardening Club who will plant white flowering bulbs in various suitable locations later this year with these bulbs first flowering next spring. The Club have in the past promoted many initiatives in the area to make visual improvements and this new project is applauded.

Dog fouling, or rather owners not removing waste is again a problem as well as an anti-social activity and owners should be more considerate of their actions. Some footpaths are becoming well overgrown and these will be strimmed to make it easier to walk them and to present a more cared for look, particularly for those visitors approaching from the Cleveland Way path.

The Police reported a drop in anti-social activity around Codbeck, partly due to the weather of late but they intend to patrol that area more frequently and in particular to advise members of the public to ensure that any valuables left in vehicles are out of sight.

Len Cragg